Are The Colts Really That Desperate To Sign Kareem Hunt?
Source: Kevin Sabitus / Getty
They can’t be seriously considering this, can they? Sure, the Jonathan Taylor saga seems to be nowhere near the finish line, and they’ve lost Zach Moss to a broken arem but the Colts can’t be THIS desperate already, can they?
Reports of the Colts making a last-second play for running back Kareem Hunt made the rounds on social media Tuesday evening with ESPN’s Dianna Russini reporting the Colts called Hunt’s agent with an offer that was greater than the one the Saints were offering, and he left New Orleans to take a meeting with Indianapolis.
Hunt, 28, is on the downslope of his career, averaging 1.1 yards per carry less from 2021 to 2022 (4.9 down to 3.8) with the Browns and still sitting on the crowded free agent running back market. On top of his production taking a dip there is always the topic of Hunt’s rocky off-field past. In 2018, he was accused of three violent incidents, the most disturbing being a hotel video camera capturing him shoving and kicking a woman while people tried to hold him back. That incident alone caused him to be suspended 8 games without pay to start the 2019 season. He also allegedly kicked a man in a Kansas City nightclub and had another “minor altercation” at an establishment in Put-in-Bay, Ohio.
Despite that troubling history (and the plethora of running backs available on the open market without a rap sheet like Hunt) the Colts are still planning on bringing him in for a look. Why? I have no idea. The PR hit of just bringing him in isn’t worth the extra headache. On top of that, his production is dropping off. For a franchise that preaches good locker room guys and avoiding off-field issues, Hunt couldn’t be further than that stance. Can people change? Of course, but videotape doesn’t lie, and the hotel video will live on forever in the internet age. Are Chris Ballard and Jim Irsay really that desperate for running back help that they can tell their significant others, children, grandchildren, players, staff and fans to look past that because he may contribute to them winning an extra football game or two?
For a team desperate for some good news, this is the exact opposite kind of headlines they would be asking for. There are plenty of better options out there if the Colts need running back depth. Why they would choose this route is beyond me.
On Wednesday’s Kevin & Query we discussed the possibility of Kareem Hunt becoming a Colt and why we have a hard time wrapping our heads around it. You can hear part of the conversation in the link below.
